Is Recovery Act a Model for Ebola?

Little did I realize that the future would come so quickly, with President Obama’s announcement that he was appointing Ron Klain as the Ebola Czar! Klain, who was chief of staff for both vice president Al Gore and Joe Biden, was a key player in the implementation of the Recovery Act.

The forum on the Recovery Act, Five Years Later was kicked off by Klain’s former point person, Ed DeSeve, who in 2009 and 2010 led the day-to-day efforts to coordinate the oversight of $787 billion in spending across 26 major federal agencies via more than 200 programs.

Recovering from the Recovery Act - Part 5

 A new report looks back at states’ experiences in implementing the federal reporting requirements and offers insights for the potential of extending such requirements.

Since 2009, the public has been able to track the outlay of more than $275 billion in federal contracts, grants, and loans as a result of the unprecedented transparency and accountability provisions included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act), part of the federal economic stimulus program.

Recovering from the Recovery Act - Part 4

What happened?

While there are debates as to whether the Recovery Act saved the economy or not, the one thing that has not been in the headlines was the way federal agency leaders implemented more than 200 programs that were used to distribute the money. 

Leading the U.S. Social Security Administration: Insights from Commissioner Michael Astrue

Michael Astrue, Commissioner of the U.S. Social Security Administration joined me on The Business of Government Hour to explore these questions and so much more.

Leading the U.S. Social Security Administration: Insights from Commissioner Michael Astrue

What is the Social Security Administration doing to reduce disability backlogs? How is SSA improving service and stewardship efforts? What does the future hold for the United States Social Security Administration? Michael Astrue, Commissioner of the U.S. Social Security Administration joined me on The Business of Government Hour to explore these questions and so much more.

For over 75 years the U.S.

Recovering from the Recovery Act - Part 2

President Obama put Vice President Biden in charge of the implementation of the $787 billion Recovery Act. Ed DeSeve had an eagle eye’s view of the interaction between agencies, states, localities, and non-profits.

Recovering from the Recovery Act - Part 1

States and localities were the front line for implementation of more than $275 billion in spending via more than 65 programs. They also faced pressures to spend, spend quickly, spend wisely – and report what they did in almost real-time.

Obama Launches New Campaign to Cut Waste

On Monday, June 13, in a 4-minuteYouTube message to the American people, the President sat next to a stack of Federal Registers to highlight the steps he taking to take to get rid of “pointless waste, stupid spending.”  

Where Is Waldo?

Newcomer’s insight at the Brookings Institution forum on improving government performance was reinforced by OMB deputy director Jeff Zients’ keynote address – where he discussed his new responsibility to lead the effort to reorganize government functions.  He did not address the performance agenda.

So Where Is Waldo?

Leading Financial Management at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Throughout its history, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, HUD, has sought to promote sustainable homeownership, support community development, and access to affordable housing. It has also become evident that government best serves the taxpayer when it is performing well and producing sound results. Over the last couple of years, HUD has taken many steps to improve its management and performance in fulfilling its mission.

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